


It was a good dream, though it was far away

by SwanIcarus



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Amnesiac Belle, OOC Belle, Post-Episode: s01e12 Skin Deep, Rumbelle - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-03-29
Packaged: 2018-03-20 03:58:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3635781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwanIcarus/pseuds/SwanIcarus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Rumpelstiltskin sends Belle away, she loses her memory and makes up many lives for herself inside her mind.<br/>She gives herself a new name and identity and tells grandiose tales of adventures that may or may not be true.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It was a good dream, though it was far away

 

 

 

_In my unloveliness_

_I plunged into the lovely things_

_which you created_

 

Confessions of St. Augustine

 

 

 

"That would be impossible" says the bar man from across the dirty counter. A pair of blue eyes shone out from under the darkness of an old cloak and crinkled with glee. 

"No! Tis not, because I lived it myself" laughed the girl wrapped in a cloak, then drank what was left in her glass. "A sea captain I was, I sailed where no man could follow. Many tried and where gobbled up by the sea. I saw them all crash on the jagged rocks of the cliffs or capsized by the deadly waves of the treacherous North Sea".

 

The barman rolled his eyes and scoffed. He was used to hearing such tales from travelers and jesters alike. "If only that where true. Hell, maybe it is. One thing is certain though, and it's that you've been telling more tall tales than you've been paying me". 

"Tall tales! These are miracles that I've lived through! No man or woman alive can tell you the things I can. And I've told you great stories of terrible deeds and curses! Is that not payment enough?" The girl swayed where she sat on the rugged stool, leaning one arm on the counter and grinning lopsidedly. 

 

"Uh huh. You've been here a fortnight and it's always the same. Paying people for their services with tales more unbelievable than the next. Why don't you move along and let the paying customers come back to my tavern?". 

"What customers? they've all left! Gone home! Weak-hearted fools, couldn't handle my life for one day". Still talking, she lifted the glass to her lips, then realized it was empty and slid it towards the barman. He grabbed it, wiped it down and put it back under the counter. 

"Your stories mean as much to me as all the others, miss. And I've heard them all". 

 

 ~

 

It was a cold night where the stars could be seen clearly and the light of the crescent moon bathed the tops of houses in white light. The girl yanked her cloak around her body and shuffled down a dirt pathway. 

"Doesn't believe my stories. Don't believe me, do they? Huh! Well they are simpletons, and I am a voyager! An adventurer! Of course they've never seen such grand sights or witnessed strange times. I've beheld deadly beasts of scales and rotting fangs, mermaids with razor like scales that sawed men's skin off! Tall tales indeed!"

 

 

The grass had a blanket of frost come morning. She had fallen asleep next to some bins behind a house, curled up in her cloak that wrapped around her like ugly brown wings. A little boy was prodding her with a sharp stick. 

"Oy! That's no way to wake someone, lad" she sighed lazily and gently pushed the stick out of her face. The boy had a double chin and stared at her blankly. 

"Mama says to stick you until you stop sleeping by our bins. She says to poke your eyes if i have to" he said, seemingly unsure of blinding a stranger, but willing to try it. 

 

The girl pretended to gasp. "Well, if your mama isn't the coldest one I've heard of! I've seen mothers that eat their young right from birth, but your mama is by far the meanest in the land! Startling a poor girl from her short respite, how cruel!"

 The boy poked her again in the shoulder. "Mama says you're a liar". The girl stood and brushed the dust off her faded blue dress, then wrapped her cloak tighter around herself. 

"Well, we believe what we're able and willing to, don't we. Don't fear! Tell your mother you've banished the beast and your bins are safe. I won't bother you anymore" she rolled her stiff neck, which made a popping noise. 

"Don't you have a name? Everyone in this town just calls you a liar" the boy called after her. 

"My name is Belle, but you'd do best to forget it" she called over her shoulder. 

 

The next town was fifteen miles away and the road was worn. It curved across marshes and skirted on the edge of steep ravines. As Belle traveled further towards the mountains, she saw less people on the road. It was nearing winter and the mountains where known for harsh blizzards and deadly terrain, an unpopular destination for most people. 

Belle was not most people. She'd been traveling god knows how long and had wandered through more towns than she could count, sometimes circling back and staying an extra night behind the same building. As she'd gotten further away from the Enchanted Forest, the people had become less welcoming. They'd stared at her dark cloak and sharp eyes and locked their doors at night, glancing at her through the windows. 

What she sought out, Belle couldn't say. One thing that was clear to her was that she had to keep searching. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
